Feature: Emily Petry

This is Emily Petry. A rosy cheeked, bubbly brunette from the midwest, with a fitting love of country music and Hawkeye football. Her quirky, chopped bangs hug her face, and give her a look of innocent friendliness. A seemingly hard-working, organized junior with her life mapped out before her. At least, on the outside.

The first thing that strikes you about Emily is not what you observe on the outside, but what you discover lies just below the surface. When approaching her, the conversation and welcoming smiles flow naturally, if not out of human habit. However, the moment you awaken that nerve inside of her; you ask that one question holding a fiery significance to who she really is, you’ll know.

Her eyes immediately begin to change. Almost hesitantly she tries to retract the emotion her eyes have allowed to leak through. You can see the processing taking place, and the final, defiant choice of confidence. The passion that touches her whole being gives Emily the ability to, not only draw a person in with her stare, but also to captivate and engage them in what she has to say. The warm sincerity she projects has her audience completely alert, and on board with whatever she is telling. One can easily be taken aback by her truly heartwarming stories, and humble selflessness when it comes to what she aspires to be. She mentions that her mother triggers this inspiration, and hopes to be more outgoing, and have the ability to comfortably put her true self out there for the public eye. It is clear that she has long been on her way to finding herself, and taken action to progress towards that person she knows she can be.

This is a story about life’s winding, confusing path each and every one of us must learn to conquer alone. How one moment in time can change a life forever. How random, jumbled situations can lead you in exactly the right direction. A story of how little we truly know about this crazy game of life, and ourselves.

Who is Emily Petry? Not just another country girl; not just another common, warm-smiling face; not another Twi-heart swooning over a romance between the pages of a book. She isn’t a girl who can be told where to go, or how to live her life. She has sky-high dreams, and refuses to settle for anything less, no matter who/what gets in her way. “Those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind”; a favorite quote of Emily’s that she says people often forget. She reminds others that true friends are the ones who will help you achieve your dreams, and won’t care if they’re not the same as their own.

It is was the first week of journalism class. Emily had joined to fulfill her graduation requirements; not giving it much thought. Her teacher began making the rounds of the classroom, handing back past assignments. When her paper was finally laid onto her desktop, she picked it up as she has with thousands of other assignments. The story was written on her school’s show choir, an activity Emily was well interested in and involved in. She hadn’t given much thought to the enjoyment she’d previously had writing it. She assumed it was solely because of her involvement. However, that big red circle at the top of the page made her double-take. There, in the center of her heading, was a perfect score. Emily had always been a good student, but something about this score was different. Journalism wasn’t something she had planned on achieving at. For Emily, journalism was no longer just a get-by class.

Of course, what is interesting about Emily, is she doesn’t feel a need to “specialize” in any type of journalism, and she’s willing to spontaneously follow the stories life throws her way. She says her written voice varies depending on the piece she is working on, but her goal is to reach each of her readers differently, and in way that they can relate to it. She has found that she enjoys the digging, and engages it takes to get the story she’s looking for. It allows her to feel like she’s really making a difference, and giving her fellow students a chance to voice their opinions.

Writing and reporting have given Emily that opportunity to express herself, and help her further the inner journey she was on her way to discovering. By continuing her journalistic career, Emily’s wish is to offer other students the chance of finding themselves and their inner voice.